For the capacitive location of a dielectric object, an electric field can be generated and it can then be determined whether the electric field is influenced by the object. In a variant, two electric fields are generated by means of two adjacent electrodes and a comparison of the capacitances at the two electrodes is carried out. If the capacitances differ by more than a predefined amount, then the presence of the object in the range of the electric fields can be inferred. This procedure can be used for any kind of object which has dielectric properties, for example a wooden beam in a lightweight wall.
The arrangement of adjacent electrodes is sensitive to all kinds of electrical conductors in their environment. The electrode arrangement is therefore set up at a certain spatial distance from an electric circuit which carries out the determination of the capacitance. For example, the electrode arrangement can be arranged on the same printed circuit board as the switching circuit, wherein there is a horizontal distance of a few centimeters between the electrodes and the switching circuit. As an alternative to this, the electrode arrangement can be mounted on a separate board so that there is a certain distance between the switching circuit and the electrodes in the vertical direction.
It is the object of the disclosure to specify a device and a method for detecting a dielectric object which allow better use of space.